It is well known that the post-Christmas period is peak time for divorce lawyers, with a dangerous cocktail of too much booze, too many in-laws and too much time with each other combining to put many a marriage on the rocks.

But while that might be good for the coffers of matrimonial lawyers, it could be pretty bad for the rest of the profession. According to research by www.illicitencounters.com, an ‘extra-marital dating site’, solicitors appear quite likely to end up in the divorce courts themselves. The site claims that lawyers are the ‘fourth most unfaithful professional’, and it has an awful lot of them on its books. And some of it is down to the job.

A survey of 528 solicitors and barristers on the site revealed that, while the number-one reason for lawyers to have an affair was ‘to feel loved’, the second was ‘to relieve stress’. The insightful press release reads: ‘Sex is a brilliant stress reliever. Legal decision-making is taxing and tense, and if a lawyer knows that sex isn’t on the cards at home, they might resort to seeking it out elsewhere.’

Painting what is presumably intended to be a favourable picture of the profession, spokes-woman Sara Hartley says: ‘Lawyers are very well-equipped to deal with an affair. They are trained to keep secrets; to remain poker-faced in even the most unnerving of situations. They are skilled in conflict resolution, so dealing with a suspicious spouse may be less daunting than it is for most. Finally, they are less likely to be swayed by guilt. Most unfaithful partners feel a great deal of remorse concerning their actions, but legal professionals are more able to positively justify their choices both to themselves, and to others’.

If all this makes lawyers sound a little bit callous, there are more sympathetic reasons given as to why lawyers on the site have ‘played away’. One says: ‘I spend my days being shouted down. It’s nice to be talked up for a change.’ Family lawyers said their work had made them lose their faith in marriage. ‘Once you start a job like mine,’ said one, ‘you realise there are so many secrets that hold a relationship together. Most marriages don’t survive without those secrets.’

On a more positive note, the website did find that ‘lawyers are by far the most romantic of all the professionals’. One said: ‘The secret rendezvous and love letters are a far cry from my daily drudgery. It’s fabulous to have someone to escape with.’

Obiter’s advice: just make sure the other half is not using the same website.